Louise-Sebastian Mercier said ‘The printing press is the most powerful engine of progress and public opinion.’
Important Questions on Print Culture and the Modern World
Which of the following statements regarding printing in Medieval Europe are correct?
I. Wood-block printing reached Europe in the th Century.
II. The aristocrats and monks criticized printed books as cheap vulgarities in the beginning.
III. Printing did not entirely displace the art of producing books by hand.
IV. Martin Luther had reservations against the printing of books.
With regard to the relationship between print culture and the French Revolution, which of the following statements are true?
I. Print culture caused the ideas of the Enlightenment – reason and rationality – to reach a large number of people which weakened the authority of the Church and the power of the state.
II. By the s, there was an outpour of literature that mocked the royalty and criticized their morality.
III. Print created a new culture of dialogue and debate that made people re-evaluate their long-held views, beliefs, and assumptions.
IV. Print culture spread in a way that it did not at all become the means for the expression of monarchical and Church propaganda.
This book by Jane Austin begins with the following sentence:
'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.'
Which novel is this?
Identify the novel based on the description.
| Description of the Novel |
| Charles Dickens focused on the terrible conditions of urban life under industrial capitalism. It is the tale of a poor orphan who lived in a world of petty criminals and beggars. Brought up in a cruel workhouse, he was finally adopted by a wealthy man and lived happily ever after |
Identify the novel based on the description
| Description of the Novel |
| Emile Zola describes the life of a young miner in France and explores in harsh detail the grim conditions of miners' lives. It ends on a note of despair: the strike the hero leads fails, his coworkers tum against him, and hopes are shattered. |
Match the items of column A with corresponding items of column B and select the correct choice:
Column A Column B
I. Vellum I. Brought the knowledge of woodblock printing to Italy
2. Johannes Gutenberg II. World's oldest extant book printed with movable metal type in Korea during the Goryeo dynasty
3. Marco Polo iii. Developed the first-known printing press in the world
4. Jikji IV. A parchment made from the skin of animals.
Identify the novel based on the description.
Description of the Novel :
In this book by Daniel Defoe, the hero, shipwrecked on an island, treats coloured people inferior creatures. He rescues a 'native' and makes him his slave. He does not ask for his name but arrogantly gives him the name Friday.
Give reason for the following:
The Roman Catholic Church began keeping an index of prohibited books from the mid-sixteenth century.
Write a short note to show what you know about Erasmus's idea of the printed book.
